New iPhone SE 3 has a small spec change that'll be great news for iOS fans

Apple's latest iPhone SE has been announced, and it seems very similar to the iPhone SE (2020). While we heard lots of information about the phone on stage, it's taken us a few days to hear about one extra detail.

According to a report by MacRumors, the new iPhone has 4GB of RAM, the same as the iPhone 13. This information was retrieved from the strings of code that Apple released after its first event for the year.

The iPhone SE 2020 reportedly had 3GB of RAM, so this would seem like an upgrade. While it doesn't exactly bring the new phone to the level of same-price Android rivals, many of which have 8GB or even 12GB of RAM, iOS is typically a less RAM-intensive operating system, so the spec isn't as important for Apple's phones.

Increased RAM will result in better performance during day-to-day tasks like editing images, playing games and multitasking - though not all apps require lots of it.

Analysis: good news for iOS fans

The new iPhone SE would probably be just fine with only 3GB of RAM, but having that extra memory could bring benefits down the line.

That's because it's giving Apple some extra wiggle room in the device for iOS - future builds of Apple's smartphone operating system can be more RAM-intensive without locking out the SE.

This could have two knock-on effects. Firstly, it lets Apple make iOS a bit more complicated, with newer features or tricks that ensure it's a great operating system to use. Apple doesn't have to build its software with its cheapest phone in mind.

Secondly, it could ensure that the iPhone SE 3 gets more years of software updates, as its extra RAM will mean it can run newer builds of iOS.

Either way, although on paper 1GB more RAM doesn't sound like a game-changing feature, it could be good news for iOS users.

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